San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-11-03
THREE Elton boys.
BY w. E. NORRIS.
CHAPTER I.

away and vanish, as the years go on.
When | closed my eyes for n moment just
| now the whole thing came back TO me
the dark, musty smelling study, with one
broad sunbeam stretching right across it
from the window; Bracknell, Jim and
standing close together beside the high,
empty fireplace; old Lord Staines, looking
uncommonly smart and spruce las he
always did in those days, q flower in his
button hole and a smile of serene beati-
tude on his handsome face, and my tutor
blinking through his spectacles and I'D
dressing himself, after his customary
fashion, to no one in particular
II shall be sorry to lose these three fell
lows" says he. They aren't bad fellows,
you know, taking them all round and !
fancy they will succeed as well in the
world as they have succeeded at Elton.
Yes, just about as well. Bracknell-well,
/ don't see what more could have been
asked of Bracknell than that he should
get into the eleven and avoid getting into
any serious scrapes. He is good looking,
he is good natured, and from time to time
/ have even observed CLEANS of-er-intel
ligence in him. Bracknell will do; he will
adorn his station. Well, then, Maynard.
Maynard is clever if not quite so clever
as he thinks himself. l hardly expect him
to set the Thames on fire, but hope his
mother will never have reason to be
ashamed Of him, and | have written to
her, telling her that l consider him my
show pupil More than / ought to have
said, perhaps, but there's no fear of her
disbelieving me. AS for Leigh" (here my
tutor took u few steps forward and patted
Jim on the shoulder, what is to be said
oh II nirrhS In, rIpg
but moderate; in mathematics l under
stand that you are also moderate; you're
not in the eleven; you're not in the eight;
/ doubt very much whether you would be
in the boats at all if you hadn't so many
friends. In short, Leigh, you are mediocre.
But you're the best fellow of the lot, all
the same. And, that being 3d." added my
tutor, looking up with a queer, kindly
smile at the young giant who lowered
nearly head and shoulders above him,
81 should be inclined to prophesy, Leigh,
that you will always have plenty of
friends and that you will possibly beer
more or less imposed upon all your life
long"
Lord Staines broke out into laughter at
this rather cynical prediction. "We'n
look after him." said he; "we'll see that
you aren't imposed upon, Leigh"
And dare say he thought himself quite
capable of so doing, although his own
career might not have recommended him
to an impartial person as being the fittest
man in the world to undertake that task
He had always taken a good humOred and
somewhat patronizing interest in Jim,
whose father and mother were both dead,
whose small property adjOined his more
extensive one in Berkshire, and who
above all-was his boys friend. He
thought very well of the lad, and indeed
was kind enough to say as much there
and then. As for Jim's being 1.-THE best
of the lot" that of course was only a
joke. 1t is not in the least likely that
Lord Staines would have been angry with
any one who should have seriously de-
clared Jim to be Bracknell's superior.
When one is fortune enough to be the
owner Of a Derby winner one is not quite
so silly as to lose ones temper with man
for proclaiming his own steady useful
roadster to be the more valuable animal
of the two
Poor old Lord Staines was fond and
foolish father, no doubt. l have heard
him so described with such wearisome
frequency that | should very much like to
contradict the statement if / could. That
being impossible, I will only venture to
assert that there were excuses for him.
Everything leads me to believe that if
had q son as handsome, as muscular, as
recklessly brave and jolly, and devil may
care as Bracknell was in those days,
should be proud of him. These attributes
may or may not constitute a legitimate
cause for parental pride; but suppose it
will hardly be denied that they usually ex-
cite it. At the same time, it must be ad-
mtted that Lord Staines was little bit
outrageous in his growing and chuckling,
and one can't wonder that some of his
friends laughed at him, while others
found him rather a bore Whenever
there was a cricket match on he would
collect as many cronies as he could induce
to accompany him, and would drag them
down to Eton to watch his boy bowling
and slogging He himself never wearied
of this delightful spectacle, and could not
understand that it might eventually pail
upon others. He kept Bracknell supplied
with plenty of pocket money, laughing good
humoredly at the rapidity with which it
was spent. / don't suppose that he even
minded much when certain longish bills
were sent in to him by the Windsor and
Elton tradesmen, some of whom respect
fully intimated that they had not been
paid for three years. He, too, had always
been open handed, careless and eXtrava-
CANT; probably he thought it only natural
that his son and heir should resemble him,
and if by any chance he ever considered
the effect of two generations of eXtrava-
ganCe upon not very magnificent rent
roll, he doubtless said to himself that some
day Bracknell would marry a woman with
money, and that then it would be all right.
Such was the course which he had adopted,
and it had answered admirably. That is
to say that he had not, at the time of which
am speaking, yet reached the last shilling
of his late wifes fortune.
He was, at any rate, evidently free from
misgivings on that last day Of Bracknell's
Elton life; for he was literally trimming
over with contentment and goodwill. He
shook hands with us warmly when the
time came for MS to wish him goOdby, re-
peating to us both again and again that
although our friends path in life would
no longer be the same as our own for
Bracknell was to join the Fourth Life
guards Immediately, while Jim and | were
to proceed in due course to Oxford, yet
we were on no account to imagine that
our friendship was at an end.
I'VE shall all meet at Staines' court be-
fore long Well perhaps not next autumn,
because shall be in Scotland until rather
late in the year; but some time, you know
some time. And Bracknell will run
down to Oxford and look you up Or
why not join us in the north, both of
you? Are you fond of stalking? Never
tried it? Well, well. everything must
have a beginning. BTdcknell as fine
shot for his years as ever law. Now,
mind, we shall count upon seeing you.